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hearken

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verb heark·en \ ˈhär-kən \

Definition of hearken

hearkened; hearkening play \ˈhärk-niŋ, ˈhär-kə-\
intransitive verb
1 :listen
  • hearkened without much mental comment
  • —Theodore Dreiser
2 :to give respectful attention
  • the humble folk who hearkened to these evangelists
  • —G. M. Stephenson
transitive verb
archaic :to give heed to :hear

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Examples of hearken in a Sentence

  1. hearken! I hear the distant beat of the hooves of many horses

Recent Examples of hearken from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hearken.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hearken

Middle English herknen, from Old English heorcnian; akin to Old High German hōrechen to listen, Old English hīeran to hear

hearken Synonyms

Synonyms
attend, hark, harken, hear, listen, heed, mind
Antonyms
ignore, tune out
Near Antonyms
discount, disregard

HEARKEN Defined for Kids

hearken

play
verb hear·ken \ ˈhär-kən \

Definition of hearken for Students

hearkened; hearkening
:listen 1

Learn More about hearken

  1. See words that rhyme with hearken Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hearken Spanish Central: Translation of hearken Nglish: Translation of hearken for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hearken for Arabic speakers

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Examples: hearken in a Sentence